Launch Window

Novel Idea 1: The Space Race — The Launch Window

The Launch Window is a novel focusing on the intense psychological pressure and espionage surrounding the race to the Moon. It explores the idea that getting there first wasn't just about science, but about propaganda and national survival.

Plot Summary:

In 1965, the United States has the Gemini program. Intelligence suggests the Soviets are preparing a large rocket that can send cosmonauts around the Moon ahead of NASA's Apollo program. The "Space Race" is the U.S.-Soviet rivalry taken to space.

The story features Major Jim 'Lucky' Donovan, an American test pilot chosen for a dangerous CIA-backed space mission, and Dr. Sergei Kirov, a Soviet rocket engineer.

Espionage: Jim's mission is to plant a compromised data package during an orbital rendezvous, leading the Soviets to a design flaw.

Engineering vs. Ideology: Sergei faces pressure from the KGB to launch the N1 'Moon Rocket' before it's safe for a propaganda victory.

The Climax: Jim is in orbit with a risky maneuver, while Sergei must decide whether to sabotage his own nation's launch to prevent a fatal explosion.

Novel Idea 2: The Founding Years — The American Tsar

The American Tsar is a historical drama set in the early 19th century. It explores how the U.S. and Russia, though geographically distant, began eyeing each other as future imperial rivals.

Plot Summary:

The novel begins in 1812. President Madison is focused on Britain, but Secretary of State James Monroe sees Russia’s expansion into North America via the Pacific Northwest as a long-term threat. Russia's Tsar Alexander I sees the young American democracy as a dangerous ideological infection.

Alaska and the Northwest: The main tension centers on the borders between the American Oregon Territory and Russian America (Alaska), where fur trading empires clash.

Diplomatic Intrigue: The story focuses on early U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Quincy Adams, who attempts to navigate the St. Petersburg court while the U.S. West is being quietly encroached upon.

The Climax: The plot culminates in the drafting of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, a political statement aimed at curbing Russian expansion in the Americas, setting a precedent for future rivalry.

Novel Idea 3: The Post-Soviet Era — The Oligarch's Game

The Oligarch's Game is a modern geo-political thriller set during the transition from the USSR to the Russian Federation in the 1990s.

Plot Summary:

The novel follows Sarah Jenkins, a young American financial analyst from the Treasury Department sent to Moscow to advise on privatization efforts. She discovers that the system is being rigged by oligarchs who are stripping the nation’s wealth with government approval and certain Western interests.

The Wild East: Sarah partners with Captain Andrei Ilyin, a Russian detective trying to stop organized crime.

Financial Espionage: They uncover a plot to divert billions in Western aid into private bank accounts and manipulate the upcoming presidential election.

The Climax: Sarah and Andrei must expose the money laundering operation before it creates a criminalized Russian state.